Australia's toughest job - dressing Kath and Kim

Kath and Kim are the queens of Australian comedy, the suburban stereotypes who make us laugh at ourselves - no matter how daggy we are.

Their accents, their interests and especially their unique sense of style are the product of long observation of Aussies by the two actors behind the characters, Jane Turner and Gina Riley ... and one woman who has one of the most unusual jobs in show business, shopping for Kath and Kim.

Costume designer Kitty Stuckey is responsible for selecting the outrageous outfits the cast wear on the show that became the ABC's highest-rated comedy, with 1,726,000 viewers in five capital cities when the second series made its debut on Thursday night.

The premiere drew the biggest audience for an Australian-made ABC program since the third series of SeaChange.

Almost all the clothes, Stuckey said, were found in typical suburban stores.

"My idea, especially with Kim, is that I like to dress her in what is available in the malls at the moment," Stuckey said.

"So I shop in the 'cheap and cheerful' women's type shops and get the worst of that end of the fashion.

"Basically it's like any girl who's reading the women's magazines and seeing what Kylie Minogue is wearing and aiming for that, but not quite making it, as many aren't - there's a million Kims walking around shopping malls!

"For the first series, Jane and Gina and I went to a mall and had a walk through, looked at shops then sat in the food court and just looked at people," she said.

"You see a lot of Kimmies. Kaths are a bit harder to find because she really likes to think of herself as someone who puts a lot of effort into her dressing.

"I think of Kath as one of those people who looks after her clothes so a good jacket she bought in 1985 she'll get out 20 years on and incorporate it into what she's bought recently.

"'Teaming with a theme', that's one of her favourite catchphrases for how she dresses."

A good op shop or thrift store can keep her for hours, combing the racks and bins for the perfect slacks or shoes.